It is our character that supports the promise of our future – far more than particular government programs or policies. – William Bennett

By Tommy DeSeno

There were those of us, the values voters, who stood by stunned when the bar for personal conduct, vulgarity, sexual assault, law and American values was lowered by those who refused to remove Bill Clinton from office in 1998. We were told we were prudish, imposing religious values and should mind our own business by staying out of Clinton’s “private life.” That side won the culture war. My side lost the culture war. They may now reap what they have sown, and what they have sown is an acceptance of Donald Trump. This linguistic monster, whose polyglot range is a very limited dirty to deriding, was created by those who stood with Bill Clinton, who made the coarsening of American discourse official. They’ll never admit it. The left is married only to the moment with no view of history or legacy.

Someone owes Gary Hart a presidency, after his was derailed by a mere picture of a woman sitting on his lap. We have gone from that standard for personal conduct to a society that would make Hugh Hefner blush. As Robert Bork pointed out, our slouch toward Gomorrah is the “rough beast of decadence” introduced by the left to American life. The Clintons particularly helped move us there.

The left has vulgarity playing on a constant loop in the national background like a porno movie at a stag party. American pop culture now looks like Larry Flynt’s America. Even the most seemingly innocuous movies have some dialogue or scenes of sex that make one say, “I can never watch this with even my adult children.” Television has become a smut contest as commercials inundate the viewer with claims of 4 hour erections. Music, Hip Hop in particular, is obscene. Even during sports one risks seeing Janet Jackson’s breasts. American culture is now a horny 15-year-old boy. This is now also the aesthetic of our politics, from Bill Clinton’s cigar to Donald Trump’s small hands. Austere, well-mannered county club preppies like the Bush family have had their day, replaced by a reality TV shock-jock cum politician from Queens. God save us.

Yet in an odd twist, values at least “looks” like it’s making a comeback. The Democrats, who seemingly were willing to accept all forms of conduct both illegal and crude from Bill Clinton in 1998, are giving impassioned speeches about public decorum, like Michelle Obama who was “shaken to her core” by Trump’s alpha-dogging dirty talk in front of Billy Bush. Suddenly there is no “private matter” when it comes to politicians, like there was for Bill Clinton. Values matter, we are told, by those who denied it 18 years ago.

Excellent. We’ve seen American political parties undergo major shifts in the past – in fact even switch positions. In the beginning, it was the Republicans who wanted a loose interpretation of the Constitution and Democrats who were strict-constructionists and concerned for states’ rights. Flip.

It would seem with this sudden “Democrat Spring” and their insistence on respectable decorum in the public square, the American right need only re-commit themselves to this long-held tradition and join them, thusly reclaiming an America where you can once again listen to your radio with your grandmother.

Oh, if it were only that easy. Oh, if the Democrats were only being real.

Democrats aren’t driven by a sudden fondness for good clean living. As usual, it’s party first. Right now, a Fred Rogers personal identity for America is a useful tool in this election. As soon as that tool is no longer needed, they’ll go straight back to their neighborhood in Sodom. The Democrat ability to set aside even their most beloved (claimed) causes routinely gets disavowed to favor a Clinton candidacy. Women’s groups will raise hell about workplace sexual harassment and male power in those situations, until the perpetrator is Bill Clinton and the victim Monica Lewinsky. They will raise hell about defense attorneys in rape cases bringing up the sexual promiscuity of the victim, unless that attorney is Hillary Clinton using a report that said the 12-year-old rape victim fantasized about being raped. They are currently defending that – just ask one of her “feminist” supporters. Good grief.

So, there’s no real concern that there is a “swapping” in each party’s view about the proprieties of acting polite and cordial in public. Democrats are insincere about it. Democrats are currently ignoring, as they have in the past, real crimes, which shows no commitment to virtue. They ignored Bill Clinton lying to a federal judge and Hillary Clinton mishandling secret material. Both crimes. They accept freely all the scandals, list ad nauseam, of Hillary Clinton, even the new ones like secret deals between the State Department and the FBI, or a plot to infiltrate and disrupt the Catholic religion. No, the Democrats are not suddenly virtue-crats.

Republicans now suffer a similar problem with hypocrisy on values. They are thrust into defending that which wrinkles their conservative souls in Donald Trump’s candidacy. Raised on Reagan’s 11th commandment and a belief that all good men must come to the aid of their party, Republicans, values voters in particular, are caught in a gotcha moment.

Trump’s candidacy isn’t a puzzle no matter how incapable mainstream media is of figuring it out. He started with ideas that attracted conservatives – ideas they felt the party elite was ignoring: Tightening of immigration, a fair fight with foreign countries on jobs, national security, lower taxes, American pride and an outsider’s takeover of D.C.

Then there was political correctness, that nagging eyelash stuck to the cheek of the American face that wouldn’t let loose no matter how many times we tried to brush it off. Trump’s brashness was a conservative backlash against PC. At first it was fun. There is a certain guilty pleasure both sides get out of politics – the more the other side hates something, the more pleasure we get in saying we support it. A collective, smirking, thumbing of the nose if you will.

Then it got out of hand. Trump’s lack of concern for dignity and etiquette crossed every line no matter how many times Republicans re-drew it to fit him on the correct side of it. We couldn’t have fun with it any longer. He would make Silvio Berlusconi ashamed. We want what was good and different about Trump but he pushed us to the point where support for him is to debase our own values. Now it’s too late.

Republicans are forced to act like Democrats – to care only for winning the election now, while American legacy for beauty be damned. Some, like Paul Ryan, are finding that very difficult.

The nomination of Donald Trump will be how values voters lose arguments to the left in the future. When Hollywood, Democrats or the left in general are caught in an act of culture destruction, they will respond to our complaints, “But you nominated Trump!” How shall we respond to that discussion ender? We have conceded the high ground on gentility in society and politics by nominating Donald Trump.

They’ll blame us, but truthfully all are to blame. We could have had Jim Webb v Marco, or Jeb, or John or Scott. We all chose what we have, Democrats and Republicans.

The fight for American civility and values has never been in worse shape.

George Washington, allegedly had an affair with a black slave before he was our first president, and some historians claim he had other affairs later in the life as well.

Jefferson’s affair led to children even.

Cleveland had an affair, and child, with a whore who served the whole office.

Garfield, at least chose his wife over his mistress.

Kennedy, the King of Sleaze.

The point is, this nation has long ignored the “values” you’re talking about; they mean nothing anyway, sorry to break it to you, most reasonable and rational people don’t really care, nor should they.

What the people in this country care about is good policy; Donald Trump brings good policy. Donald Trump brings good economic policy, good foreign policy, good trade policy, and good administrators below him. He is and has been a successful businessman and leader, much the same way that, while maybe “flawed” in terms of the “values” you speak of, the founding fathers were successful businessman and leaders.

Hilary Clinton is no leader. Hilary Clinton is in no definition of successful, nor capable of running a business or this nation. Hilary Clinton brings bad policy; she brings more bad immigration policy that brings more bad Muslims who want to destroy America and kill Americans. Hilary Clinton brings bad foreign policy that gets Americans killed like her husband did in Somalia in 93, like her husband did in 93 when Muslims bombed the WTC, when Muslim’s bombed the USS Cole, it was under the Clinton watch when Muslims bombed Tanzania and Kenya – the Clintons are BAD for foreign policy and our nation’s security – the Clinton’s failure to take action against radical Muslims ultimately lead to the 2001 attacks and the 20 year old endless war that has followed and Obama perpetuates. Hilary Clinton is BAD for economic policy as she will be just like her husband with his NAFTA “deal” when she flip-flop-flips again-again in support of TPP; and don’t forget, it was the Clinton “Community Reinvestment Act” that really led to the financial crisis and housing meltdown in the mid 2000s; Clinton economic policy is BAD economic policy. Yet somehow even worse than all of those things – consider the BAD people that Hilary Clinton surrounds herself with: Huma Abedin: a Muslim who’s father and family want to destroy America and support violence against women. Anthony Weiner, who sends nude pictures to teenage girls with his own son in the picture with him and then consider the nearly 100 different “SUSPICIOUS” deaths of people close to the Clinton’s. The people that the Clinton’s owe favors to and will appoint to administration positions are not reasonable, rational, intelligent people, they are equally bad people who are out to destroy this nation. The Clinton’s will do again what they did in the mid 90s – take any remaining jobs and wealth from American people to give away to friends or keep for themselves. We are still paying, literally and figuratively for Bill Clinton’s disastrous term in office, this nation can not afford a second Clinton term.

Values? If you had any at all, you’d be out supporting Trump without a hesitation for the good policy values he offers.

We need to make sure the Senate and Congress remain in conservative, constitutionalist hands and will work with a President Trump to bring back American jobs for the American workers, revitalize our economy, have a forensic audit done on our national budget to bring government spending under control, ensure the security of our nation and our communities, and protect the life and liberty of all Americans and their families, no matter their race, class, color, creed, national origin, or whatever else has been exploited to create divisions among us.

Divide and Conquer has worked in the past for the political elites.

In order to restore the American Dream for our children and grandchildren, all of us must work to unite, not divide, behind an imperfect candidate who will drain the swamp of elitist corruption cartels in Washington DC.

No more ridiculing of Catholics and Evangelicals by the Clinton political machine. No more attempts of a coup d’etat by the media moguls lined up to propagandize us on behalf of the Clinton Cartel. Enough is Enough!